Report by Abbas Shabbir
The negotiations between the government and the banned militant Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan have finally reached a positive conclusion. According to sources, the talks have been successful.
“Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, and other leaders will reveal all the details at a press conference at 11:15am,” Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed told SAMAA TV.
Initial reports suggest that the government’s top priority was to put an end to the protests. TLP supporters at the GT Road near Gujranwala will head back home, SAMAA TV correspondent Abbas Shabbir revealed.
Other agreements reached in the talks will be revealed in the media briefing.
The development comes after Prime Minister Imran Khan made a key offer to TLP leaders during a meeting with ulemas as he sought their help in defusing the ongoing tensions between the two groups.
He said his government will not oppose the release of TLP Chief Saad Rizvi if courts make a decision, but he would not issue an executive order in this regard. The prime minister added that the concession was linked to TLP activists ending their long march. He allowed the ulema to meet Saad Rizvi.
After the meeting with ulemas, a new negotiation team was formed. It is led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and comprises National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and MNA Ali Mohammad Khan.
Protesters waiting in Wazirabad
Meanwhile, thousand of TLP supporters have been stationed near Wazirabad’s GT Road waiting for orders from their leaders. They have been told to wait until talks with the government are over.
TLP protesters will stay in Wazirabad tonight on the request of the government, says the group's spokesperson. Another round of talks between the group's leaders and a three-member government committee will take place in Islamabad tonight. #TLPDharna
— Roohan Ahmed (@Roohan_Ahmed) October 30, 2021
The marchers entered Gujranwala Friday where the Rangers drew a red line warning them against crossing it. The banner is 500m from the Chenab toll plaza. According to DAWN, a banner put up by the security forces read: “Beyond this line, the responsibility for law and order lies with Pakistan Rangers (Punjab), who have been given the authority to open fire at the miscreants so all people are strictly warned to return to their homes”.
Mobile phone and internet services in Gujranwala have been suspended. Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Railways announced that two trains from Karachi to Rawalpindi, Tezgam Express, and Pakistan Express, have been suspended on both inbound and outbound routes.
The story is being updated.
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